Short Cut Sheet Pan Lasagna

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RENÉE KOHLMAN

This is the time of year when things start to get bonkers busy. School is back in. Activities have resumed their slot in the weeknight schedule. Those carefree summer days of lingering meals on the patio are but a distant memory.

September is jam-packed and time is tight, which means that meals during the week have to be quick and relatively fuss-free. Maybe not everything is made from scratch, and you enlist the help of some grocery store short cuts. We’re only human, after all!

Some of my favourites include hot rotisserie chicken from the deli, shelfstable gnocchi, and jarred marinara sauce. There are plenty of great-tasting sauces out there, and they sure help cut the time down on a recipe. And then there are streamlining methods, like with this sheet pan lasagna. Who has time to fuss with layers and layers of pasta on a Tuesday night? Maybe you just stir everything together and dump it on a sheet pan like I did. Same great flavours and way less stress. Let’s go!

First off is dealing with the lasagna noodles. You want to break them up into 5 cm pieces then boil until they are barely al-dente. They will cook further in the oven, and we don’t want them to be too mushy. Next, are the greens. Whether you use spinach or kale, you want to cook it down until it’s wilted, then stir it into ricotta and pesto. This step really adds layers of flavour. Now the meat sauce. You can totally prepare this ahead of time on the weekend, which will save you even more time on a Tuesday night.

I like the combination of lean ground beef and Italian sausage, but you could use all of one, or even ground turkey, chicken, or pork. Or, if you’re vegetarian, skip the meat entirely and sauté mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc. Your lasagna your way! When that sauce is bubbling and tastes delicious, stir in the cooked noodles and some mozzarella cheese. Slide it all onto the greased baking sheet and top with dollops of the ricotta mixture and more cheese. Everything gets baked until it’s browned and beautiful, about 30 minutes. Your kitchen will smell amazing, and I guarantee everyone who lives in your house will come and see what’s for dinner. We should talk about crispy bits, because there are plenty of them. If you’ve ever been around the dinner table and have seen people quarrel over who gets the end pieces of lasagna, then I’m happy to report that there are plenty of end pieces here. The greater surface area of the sheet pan yields so many crispy, cheesy, beautiful bits. Let’s all cheer for that!

Sheet Pan Lasagna

Serves 6-8

454 g uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 5 cm pieces

2 Tbs (30 mL) olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan

4 cups spinach leaves or chopped kale, stems removed

Pinch red pepper flakes

2 cups (500 mL) ricotta cheese

¼ cup (60 mL) pesto

454 g lean ground beef

227 g Italian sausage, casings removed

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

4 cups (1 L) marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought

2½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

To taste salt and pepper

Basil leaves, for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the broken lasagna noodles and bring back to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until the noodles are al dente, about 5-6 minutes. Drain, and toss in a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

2. Preheat the oven to 425º F. Lightly grease a 30x44 cm (12x17”) sheet pan with olive oil.

3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil, then toss in the spinach or kale, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese and pesto. Stir in the wilted greens, and season with generous pinches of salt and pepper.

4. In the same skillet you cooked the spinach in, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add the onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning, and cook for a few more minutes until the onion is translucent. Stir in the marinara sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Combine the meat sauce with the cooked lasagna noodles and stir to coat the noodles well. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

6. Transfer the meat and noodle mixture to the prepared sheet pan, and spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture on top of the lasagna, and then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

7. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. Allow the lasagna to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil leaves.

Renée Kohlman is a busy food writer and recipe developer living in Saskatoon. Her two cookbooks ‘All the Sweet Things’ and ‘Vegetables: A Love Story’ have won awards and been on best-of lists.